The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the draft National Tobacco Control Bill 2004 that will be sent to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill for promulgation into law.
The Bill recommends a minimum of six months imprisonment or N50,000 or both for individuals that smoke outside public places designated as smoking areas. Penalties for corporate offenders varied from N1million to N5million and one year to two years imprisonment for the chief executives of such firms. All forms of advertisement of tobacco is totally banned under the proposed law. It forbids government from accepting gifts from tobacco firms, sponsoring any public event. Some of the diseases linked to smoking to include cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke; cancer, especially that of the lung; as well as chronic respiratory disorder.
A Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in 2008 showed that 15 per cent of children between 13 years and 15 years are already smoking and another percentage exposed as passive smokers. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey on its part showed that 10 percent of men in Nigeria smoke while 1.1 percent women smoke. The bill is to protect Nigerians against the harmful effects of tobacco.
6 months for smoking? What about those who loot public funds?